Right before the 4th, Tall & Handsome came home with some fresh-out-of-the-garden squash given to him by one of the agents who works with him.

Yellow squash has been a staple in my diet since I was a little girl. If you’re Southern, you just grow up eating the delicious veggie with the bright sunny disposition. I mean, really, how many other bright yellow vegetables do you eat?

We ate it stewed with sliced or chopped onion (I like to add a little fresh garlic), butter and salt and pepper…lots of pepper for me. Then, there’s squash croquettes. Think of them as kind of like hush puppies…only better and healthier. My personal favorite is squash casserole. And, like most of the good cooks in my family, the recipe is in my head and changes from time to time, but always scrumptious. Some day I have to get that recipe down on a soft copy.

Now, T & H hadn’t grown up with the same “squash advantage”. So, we’ve been forging new territory here. Not too long ago I made a squash casserole for him. Consensus? He loved it! Yay! So, now I’ll add squash casserole to our rotation.

You know T & H is the grillmaster in the house. Anytime I can say “let’s grill this”, his big blue eyes light up and it’s a go. I was inspired by a recipe a fellow Southern Food Blogger posted several weeks ago. I told her I might experiment with lime which is my personal favorite (her recipe is Grilled Yellow Squash with Lemon & Chive Vinaigrette).

Once again, experimentation and development resulted in something T & H gave a hearty thumbs up. Added bonus is it’s super easy. I used an herb fresh out of our garden, and some other great ingredients for a fresh, unexpected flavor. It’s addicting! Not a piece was left. When we expand our garden spot, I would wager T & H will be up for planting some squash mounds!

Grilled Herb Garden Squash with Raspberry – Lime Vinaigrette

4 – 5 medium yellow squash

For the vinaigrette:

4 tablespoons quality extra-virgin olive oil (or light olive oil)

Zest of 1 fresh lime

Juice of 2 fresh limes (about 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon raspberry balsamic vinegar

1 – 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

4 teaspoons fresh dill, snipped

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste.

1. Using a small bowl that has a lid add lime zest, fresh dill and minced garlic.

2. Add the oil, lime juice and raspberry balsamic vinegar. Whisk (or cover and shake well) to make an emulsion.

(You can mix the vinaigrette together a day ahead of time to allow the flavors to blend together.)

4. Wash and dry squash. Cut into chunks about 2″. Remove any large seeds that might be in the squash if using larger squash. Place in a shallow dish or pan.

5. Drizzle about three-fourths of the vinaigrette over the squash and allow t0 marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Grill squash on direct medium heat for 8 – 10 minutes until tender crisp. You can use a tray just for grilling vegetables to prevent squash from falling through the grill grate. Remove from heat when done.

7. Return any vinaigrette left in the bottom of the pan with the rest of the vinaigrette left in the bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 – 45 seconds.